Professor Dr. Jack Uetrecht

Biography

Professor Uetrecht’s research focuses on idiosyncratic drug reactions, which are unpredictable adverse reactions that occur in patients. These reactions can involve therapeutic effects of the drug and are mechanistically complex, requiring multiple disciplines including drug metabolism, reactive metabolite formation, pathology, toxicology, and immunology. The research team uses various platforms including in vitro studies, animal models, and human studies to understand these mechanisms. They aim to mechanistically understand how to prevent severe reactions and to design safer drugs with dosing schedules that minimize risk. Among their findings, the team discovered that blocking immune tolerance can unmask the ability of drugs to cause idiosyncratic reactions similar to those seen in humans. Their work has contributed to significant advances in screening drug candidates for potential adverse drug reactions and developing treatment protocols that can reduce the risk for essential drugs. Professor Uetrecht has received numerous teaching awards and is a Canada Research Chair in Immunotoxicology, along with a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Toxicology Canada.

Research Interests

Experience